It sounds incredible. Thirty-five years ago, 3.5 crore rupees project of constructing a 6.4 kilometres long irrigation canal from Nallah Jullera to village Tagan in tehsil Ramnagar, was announced by the concerned department. It has not been completed so far. If this is the pace of our developmental projects, then we will never have any project completed for any length of time. Digging of this irrigation canal (called as Khul in local language) was started in 1982 under State sector and NABARD. A length of 5 km up to Nallah Bardi was completed by 2012 by spending an amount of Rs 3 crore. Six years ago digging of remaining 1.4 km was begun and so far the work has not been completed. Interestingly, farmers who were in their twenties when the project was begun have crossed their sixties and yet the canal has not seen the light of the day and water has not reached their fields and farms.
This is not the only project that has been relegated to oblivion. There are many more like that. Essentially incompetence is rampant in the administration. There is huge manpower and the enormous superstructure of functionaries. But nobody is prepared to shoulder the responsibility of inordinate delay and virtual dysfunction of the projects. This is a sordid story and a big reflection on the ability of our state functionaries to deliver goods.
We are surprised what the elected representatives of the areas like the one under discussion have been doing all these three decades and half. Why have not they raised the issue in the Assembly? If they do not care for their people who else will? The people of the area have also to hold the elected representatives responsible for this callous neglect.
Ramnagar is a hilly and backward area. People are suffering deprivation of many necessaries of life. They have small cultivable land on which they grow small crops. If even this facility is denied to them, what else is there for them to keep them surviving. The Government is making loud noise of reaching the poor and the backward areas. But this is the lot of a backward area and the facts speak for themselves.
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